“The American
position should be clear, and should manifest itself as a demand that a new
dictator not be permitted to emerge in Iraq. … Iraq is now confronting a real
crisis. … We note that there is only one party and one group trying to
consolidate power in Iraq.”

Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul-Kareem Luaibi asserts at a press conference that Iraqi Kurdistan is undermining Iraq's budget by halting oil exports, and said the autonomous region is smuggling crude oil over the border, mainly to Iran.

The president of the Iraqi Kurdistan, MassoudBarzani, insisted on Wednesday that the United
States not allow the emergence of a new Iraqi “dictator.” He did so while
pointing out that the “campaign” launched against Iraq’s Sunni leadership by
Prime Minister Maliki reveals a fear of the potential
toppling of the Assad regime [Syria].

Barazani, visiting Washington at
the invitation of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, said in an interview with the Washington
Post, which was monitored by Shafaaq
News. During a previous visit, Barazani met
President Obama and told of our desire that the U.S. withdrawal not mean a
pullout of U.S. interests and America’s insistence on a "new Iraq."

Barazani said on Wednesday: "The
matter is still on the U.S. president’s table," stressing that, "the American
position should be clear, and should manifest itself as a demand that a new
dictator not be permitted to emerge in Iraq. He said any such trend should be
discouraged."

Barzani added that, “Iraq is now
confronting a real crisis, despite those who believe otherwise. … We note that
there is only one party and one group trying to consolidate power in Iraq.”

Referring to the situation in Syria, Barazani
said, “there is war between Syria’s Alawites and
Sunnis, and the aim of that war is liberation. [Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is an Alawite].

But Barzani was pessimistic about
the outcome, saying, “There is no chance of an understanding between the opposition
and government in that country, and I expect this war to drag on.”

Posted by Worldmeets.US

Barazani said, “The situation in
Syria is directly tied to Iraq’s, and Prime Minister Maliki
is apprehensive about the fall of the Assad regime and its impact on Iraq’s
Sunni-Shiite struggle. These fears explain Maliki’s
campaign against Iraq’s Sunni leadership.”

Barzani went on, “the Syrian
regime is responsible for 80 percent of the terrorist massacres committed on
Iraqi soil, and Maliki should be open with Iraqis
victimized by those massacres.”

The relationship between Baghdad and Erbil has experienced
unprecedented tension since Vice President Tarek al-Hashemi fled to Kurdistan, after the Iraqi government
accused him of being involved in terrorism. Baghdad asked the Kurdistan
provincial government to hand him over - but Erbil refused.

Then, during the Nawruz festival
[Persian New Year], Barazani told an Iraqi satellite channel
that he accused Prime Minister Maliki of overstepping
his authority. That triggered a tidal wave of responses from Maliki and members of his National Assembly block.